The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday presented Certificate of Return to its Ondo governorship candidate, Mr Agboola Ajayi,following his emergence at the party’s primary election.
The PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, presenting the certificate to Ajayi at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, said that the PDP was prepared to reclaim power in Ondo.
“We produced a candidate without a dissenting voice. It’s because of what we have put in place that has made this possible.
“During our stakeholders meeting, we agreed that all the aspirants must come from the south, and by the grace of God, that happened. This shows the preparedness of the party to take over Ondo.
“Even from the last election, we know that Ondo is PDP and from the stakeholders’ meeting and other engagements,we were able to come out with a single candidate,” he said.
Damagum advised Ajayi not to take his victory in the primary for granted, but work with other aspirants and stakeholders in the state for the party’s victory.
“It is not going to be an easy task. You have to start going from door to door, reaching out to them, persuading them, you must work hard to make sure PDP takes Ondo,” he said.
Damagum, however, assured Ajayi of the party leadership’s determination to take the lead in the reconciliation process, starting from the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting with stakeholders in the South West on Monday.
In his remarks, Ajayi ,who promised to work with all party stakeholders and people of Ondo ,expressed confidence of victory in the Nov. 16 election.
“This election is a defining moment for us; It is about all of us coming together to chart a new course for Ondo State.
“It is about embracing our collective vision and aspirations for a better, more prosperous future; therefore, it cannot be about me alone,” he said.
Ajayi said the election offered PDP a unique opportunity to bring about real and sustainable development for the people of Ondo.
He said that the PDP, as the largest political party in Africa, was positioned to lead the transformational change needed in the state.
“The challenges we face, from poverty to unemployment, insecurity and economic hardship, require urgent and decisive action. We cannot afford to dwell on past mistakes or divisive rhetoric.
“Instead, we must focus on uniting to provide solutions that prioritise the well-being of our people and communities.
“Our vision for Ondo is one of growth, opportunity, and equity. We envision a state where every child has access to quality education, where healthcare is affordable and accessible, and where infrastructure supports economic growth and connectivity,” he said
Ajayi , taking questions from newsmen, said that the outcome of the forthcoming election would not be influenced by money politics.
He said though he and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gov. Lucky Ayedatiwa have great experience, having both served as deputy governor in the state ,the PDP candidate said he remained the best candidate in the election.
“As a matter of fact, two of us are former deputy governors, we served the same master, but the people know who has capacity, who has character, who has experience, who has intelligence, who can handle the job very well and I can assure you that I am the person,” he said.
Ajayi also said that being a former member of APC in the state was an advantage to him.
“I have friends all over the place, I have friends in PDP, I have friends in APC. Just give us few weeks and you will see how leaders from APC will troop back to PDP because they have confidence in me.
“They know my character, they know my capacity and ability that I can deliver. So that is an advantage to the party and we are going to explore it,” he said.(NAN)
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